Process of making gas.



H-L'. DOHERTY. PROCESS 0F MAKING GAB. PPLIMTION FILED APB. 7,'1909.

WITNESSES H. L. DOHERTY.

PRUGESS OF MAKING GAS.

.PPLIUATIUN 1111.111) APR. L. 1909.

. Patented Nov. 14%, 1911 4 SHEETS-8E BET 2.

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HL DHERTY.

`PRGESS' MAKING GAS. APPLICATION rILnD APn.7.19oa. 1

, Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

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11'. L. DOHERTY.`

PROCESS 0F MAKING GAS.

APPLIUATIGN .FILED APR`7,1B09. Y'

Patented Nov. 14, 12111.

WITNESSES c/ @am awww `iso HENRY L. DOHEB-TYQ F NEW YORK, N Y.

PROCESS OF MAKING GAS.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Application led April 7, 19m)1 Serial No. 488,378.

To all whom it my concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LATHAM Dorinnrr, `a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new 'and useful Improffements in-` Processes of Making Gas, of which the fol i lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to processes for manufacturing gas and, particularly, to that kind of such processes in which a combustible gas is formed by subjecting fuel in a deep bed -to combustion by a limited supply of air. l

TheV objects of my invention are the furnishing of a method whereby in gas producing apparatus of the -lrind mentioned, the freshly charged fuel may be subjected to an i uiting and carbonizing temperature ininie.a

lately after being charged into the producer, the volatile hydrocarbons distilled from the fuel, 4subjected to a suliicient temperature to x them as permanent gases,

causing them to pass through a considerale depth Vof incandescent fuel, and the entire bed of fue] in the producer maintainedfin an active gasifying condition l attain these objects 1n the herein revealed process by 'taking of the gas from the producer below the. surface of the fuel bed, preferably at or near the middle thereof and y subjectinv the freshly charged fuel to theaction ofc a flame of producer gas.

In `the drawings, Figure 1 shows vertical section through an apparatus suitable for applying my process taken on a vertical plane through the line A A of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 isa plan ofthe apparatus; Fig. 3, a crosssection of the recuperator on a vertical plane through the line D D of Fig. 1.

In Fi 4, I show a half plan of a slightly modifie form of the producer of the apparatus in which the gas take olf pipes arelocated in a vertical position in the producer instead of passing through the sides thereof. Fig. 5 is a section ofthe same on a vertical plane through the line E E of Fi 4.

Inthe (awings 1 -is the gas producer, 2 a combined vrecuperator and evaporator, 3 an exhauster -of any common type, 4.- the shell of Vthe producer, 5 the fire brick lining and 6 the arch or dome thereof, 7 indicatesthe fuel chamber of the roducer'and 8 the 4upper part of the fuel c amber unoccupied the gas bustle-pipe 2i'.

by fuel which in this ,case is utilized as a combustion chamber in which a portion of l as made is burned as described below.'

the

9 1s the charging ho per of the produ( er, 10 the bell closing the ottom of the hopper and actuated by a lever mechanism 11, '12 the coverl of 'the charging hopper.

13 indicates the gas oftake pipes which are connected with the common bustle pipe 15, 14 indicates dampers for regulating the draft through the-pipes 13. g

16 is a pipe or conduit leading the. producer gas from the bustlepipe to the `gas distributing lue lSof the recuperatoi' 2 and .is provided with a valve 17.d

19, 20 and 21 are three flues opening )ut of 18 and affording passage for the hot producer gas through the recuperator.

22 is a crossue connecting the discharge ends of 19, 2O and 21 and delivering the gas to the suction line 23 of the exhaustei` B.

24 is theI discharge pipe of the exhaust-er provided with a valve or damper 25, 25a pipe openi'ng out of 24' below the valve 25 and leading a portion of the gas bach to Opening out of 27 are a number -of short pipes 28 passing through the tubes of the burners 29, these latter having air-dampers 30. Valves 63 on 29 serve to regulate the supply of gas to the burners.

Patented Novgm, 191.1. f.

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32, 38 and 34 are the airfluesl ofthe recuperator 2 locatedfin and enveloped by the gas flues 19, 20 and '21 respectively.l 'Ehe inlet ends of 32, 33 andfi are provided with. 9c

dempers 31 which serve to control the main an' supply for the producer, the outlet ends of the air lilies open into the cross pipe 35,

which has a` pipeA or conduit 36 having@` valve 58 opening out of it and conducting the heated air from'. the recuperator to the l,

twyer 37 of the producer. a hood' or cover 38 which trance of ashes into it. g

89 indicates poke holes located in the top of the producer and providing accesi:` to the fuel bed thereof. 40 indicates a number 'of similar openings in the sides or shell of the producer for the'purpose of baring down the fuel bed when'required.

41 is the ash door of the reducer. 42, 43 and 44 are water plpes having four tiersof branch-pipes nuihbered 48, 49 and 50, ,sets ofA valves 51, 52,353 and 5,4 respectively controlling the flow of water thereprevents the eny This twyer has i Between the Ts 65, and the doors 55"is a through; 55 indicates the metal shell of the recuperator, 64 the refractory walls thereof, 56 the refractorybacking of the doors covering the ends of the gas iues. 60 and Gl are division walls which, together with, the arches 59,4 form the gas flues 19, 20 and 21. l

57 are arches throw-n across between the vertical dividing walls and serving to support the sections of the air tlues 32, 33 and 34; 62 indicates refractory linings or tubes which are inserted into such of the metal flues'as are subjected to a high temperature with a view of preventing the collapse of the said metal tubes While they are softened under the influence of the high temperature.

The general construction and 'arrangement of the reouperator is as follows: It consists as mentioned of a metal shell 55., having openings closed by covers or doors 55 opposite the ends of each couple of sections of gas Hues 19, 20 and 21. This shell has a thick inner' wall of fire brick 64 and the inclosed space is divided into three compartments bythe partition walls 60 and (31. These compartments are subdivided horizontally by the partitions 59 so as to form what is in effect a continuous return bend flue of each compartment. These partitions 59 are preferably-`formed of special tiles supported by the Walls 64, GO and 61. These partitions 59 are interrupted alternately rliront and back so as to leave openings establishing communication on the' one hand with the section or sub-flue above it and on the other with the one below it. The upper tier Iof sub-flues open out of the cross flue 18,'and the lower tier opens into the cross line 22. There are thus formed three parallel return-hend lflues vfor the gas, which receive the gas from the conduit 16, and after conducting it through th'e recuperav tor, discharge it into the iue 22 leading to the exhauster. `Within and enveloped .by the flues 19, 20 and 21 are the air flues 32, 33 .and 34, which consist of sections of metal pipes connected by Ts 65 in such a way as to form three continuous return-bend lues. The lower tiers of these lues have the water connections mentioned above, for

the purpose' of supplying water to theml and dams G6 `which insure a shallow layer of water being maintained in the -flues When the supply of water to any flue isV greater than the amount .of evapration therein the excess. simply runs over the dam 66 and thence down the sides of the con,- necting T to the section' n'eXt below.l Any excess supplied to the lowest tier runs to waste through the waste pipes 45,46 and 47,

removable or dry wall 56 which prevents the high temperature in the interior of the ecuperator being communicated to the doors55f, but, which can -be easily removed` when the recuperator is not in use for the purpose of repairing or replacing the sections of the lues 32, 33 and 34 when necessary. The outer ends of the lowest seotions of 32, 33 sind 34 are provided with dampers or registers 3l, which control the flow of air to the flues. The upper sections of 32, 33 and 34 connect with the cross flue 35 which as above mentioned, discharges the air to the producer throaifgh the pipe 36.

The method of operating is as follows: Al bed of incandescent fuel having been built) up in the producer in the customary manner, Water 1s run into the' lower tiers of the air flues 32, 33v 'and 34 in recuperator 2, through the connections provided for that purpose, the dampers 31, valves 14, 17, 58 and 25 are opened, all poke holes and ath doors closed, and the exhauster 3 started. This acts to draw oit the gas from the producer through the ol`-take pipes 13, conduit 16, and lues 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 of the recuperator and the suction pipe 23 and discharge it through the pipe 24 to the point of use lor to a storage holder when one is used. At the saine time air is drawn' in through the dampers 31-and passes through the air flues 32, 33 and 34 of the recuperator in a path parallel but opposite in direction tothe travel of the hot producer gas at the saine time passing through the recuperator. This hot. gas enveloping and in Contact with the said air fiues gives up tothe air and water in said flues thegreater portion .of its sensible `heat. In order to secure the highest practi cable transfer of heat from the hot producer gas to the draft current for the producer, it is advisable to performthe evaporation as low down in the recuperator as possible. For this reason, the supply of Water to the Aflues is sov` regulated that the water space in the lowest sections is always maintained full of water. For example, if the evaporation from two tiers of sections is suflicient to su ply run tlie water into the second tier from the bottom of the. recuperator in suiiicient quantity to supply the evaporation and permit a slight drip from theaoverflowscf the lowest sections. If I wish to increase the quantity of wat r vapor that I am furnishing tothe producer I open the valves 52 to the proper degree and close the valvesA 53. It the eva oration from three tiersA of pans is not au cient I supply the' water to 126 the upper tier by openin valves 51 sind closing the valves 52, 53 an 54.

It is evidentthat -I may if, I prefer, fur- .nish to each individual section its own independent supply of water,"but I prefer inl evaporated water mixes with and. is "ab-` the requisite quantity of. water, I 11o.

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sorbed by the air current passing through the ilues. `When the draft current enters the upper sections of the flues,'the mixed. air and water vapor is highly super-heated. In ordi nary working, the producer gas enters the recuperator at a temperature of about 1500o F., and the. air Water-vapor current leaves it `with a ten'iperaturc of between 1200 and 1300o F. This draft current passes through Part of the water of the draft current probably reacts with the carbon of thc lower fuel layers to forni. carboni dioxid, at the same time setting free :its hydrogen, accordhig to reaction.

b) @+411,()xiCOu-l-/l-l?. It is probable thatn a considerahle pro Iiiortion ofthe oxygen of the air lliurns directly to carbon monoxid according to the equation.

(c) Cyl-022200.

(fr) (i2-+-eifnoeaco-i-ein.

As' the draft current passes through the` y,ppper layers of incandescent fuel, the car jon dioxid which it carricsreacts with the flarbon to foi-in carbon inonoxid according4 to reaction.

The greater )art of the Water of the draft curent is also ere dissociated to form `carbon monoxid and hydrogen according to reaction (di).

After the exhauster h been started, the valves 63 are opened, l'ierinitting a portion `-of the producer gas" discharging through 24 to pass back to the producer above the fuel bed thereof. The dempers 30 are opened and the gas and air entering through 29 burns. The burning producer gas raises the chamber 8 to a comparatively high tem erature. When a fresh charge of coal is introduced into the lproducer it is irnmediately, therefore, subjected to a carbonizing temperature. Its volatile matter rapidly distils off and, in passing through the up er portion of the bed of incandescent fuel, t e hydrocarbons are cracked and con- `verted for the most part, into permanent aSBS.

By admitting the proper excess of` air through the dampers'30, a greater or less vproportion of the distillation gases from the raw coal and also some of the fixed carbon of the latter may be. burned if desired. Iii

fact, I prefer to sustain the temperature of y the upper part of the fuel bed (above the line B l5), in part, by such a combustion.

In my present invention, the upper por- 4tion of the fuel bed, above the line B B, is,

without the infiuence of theJ flame of burn ingproducer gas, suojected to practically the saine conditions as the upper portion of the fuel bed in a down draft producer. Without the flame of burning producer gas the upper part ofthe fuel bed (above the lline l C) would be comparative] y cool, since alll the heat that it would receive would be yso such would be conducted hack against the draft current entering at the top; The 1 freshly charged ,fuel Would, therefore, siniply lie on top of the burning fuel, being sulcjected onlyto the slow carbonizing actioli of the heat receireljl from the burning fuel below'. It Woulifl be only when it had dsounded to the zoneI of active conioustioiy that it would be actually carbonized, and ig iiited. In the type of producer which I have herein showii,tliis distillation ofthe volati] e hydrocarbons of the coal would take place so far down in the fuel bed (about 10 inches below the surface) that they would be sutjeoted to only a very short travel in contar-t with the incandescent carbon. The result would be that a considerable pro .ortion of such hydrocarbons would pass o with the as vapors and be condensed in the re-` cuperator, in this case, or in Whatever forri of' cooler might be used in others, resulting in a gradual stoppage of the ap aratus an-:l lowering of its efficiency due to t e tarry de posits forrned therein.

contact `with the latest charged layers of fuel, I avoid,rfor the most part, such passage of hydrocarbon vapors through the fuel hed andwkeep my recuperator almost entirely free from tar. The heat of the burning gas keeps the whole upper portion of the fuel bed at incandescencc, and, therefore, in a rfactivecondition. As l stated above, I refer to supplement the heat generated by t ie gas by burning a portion of the fuel itself by admitting a corresponding excess of' air through the dempers 30. V

The carbon dioxid formed from the burr. ing gas or crial' in passing through the ircandescent carbon reacts therewith accord ing toreaction. f

formed. The'water formed by the combusiio tion of the hydrogen of the producer gas, ac-

cording to the reaction, 2H,+O,:= H,O,

is elfo disassociated by passing through the incandescent carbon, according to reaction (d), the same amount of heat being, of

' course, rendered latent in its disassociation was developed in the combustion of the hydrogen from which it was formed. I, therefore, do not lose any he'at from thesystem by thus returning a part of the gas to the producer and burning it therein, save such as is lost by conduction from the top and sides of chamber 8. The heat which is developed b v the burning of the producer gas is absorbed in'a useful .form in reaction (e). The net result of this device is, therefore, that I am taking heat from the interior of the fuel bed where there is a surplus and` restoring it to the surface layer thereof in which there is', ordinarily,V no combustion. I thus keep the entire bed of fuel in a reactive condition. i

In the operation of a gas producer the depth of the fuel bed is limited, practically by the resistance which the bed oers to the passage of the blast current. Aside from this restriction, the greater .the depth of fuel in a reactive condition, the greater is the amount of carbon that may be gasified per square foot of grate surface. Now` since by my device'I keep the entire bed of fuel at a .temperaturesufficiently high to permit the carbon to react freely with the chemicallyactive constituents of the draft current,`I am securing the greatest possible capacity for my producer. Although I am returning cooled gas to the upper part of the producer, I do not lose the sensible heat which it carried out of the producer because I am restoring such heat through the lmedium of the air current supplied to the lower part of the fuel bed. I use the cooled f' gas owing to the fact that it is under pressure, and, therefore, does not require any moving mechanism to re-introduce it into the `producer` Were I to use the hot producer gas, it is manifest, that I Wouldhave to pn ride an additional blower or injector' to re-r'itroduce the hot gas into the producer, since, even if I were working the producer under pressure instead of suction, the I lgas passing through the off-take would, of necessity, bevunder -a lower pressure than would exist in the chamber 8.

. modify the proper theoreticalcondition's in V Y Theoretically, the proper conditions to maintain in a producer are the ones which will give thegreatest possible reproduction of the heat of the original fuel in an available form in the apparatus in which the gas is subsequently burned. There are' however important practical considerations which the producer in practice. For instance, the clinkering of thc ash of the4 fuel when a high temperature is maintained in the prol ducer, makes it very diflicult to operate the same and entails great irregularity, wear of' the producer, and heavy labor in its opera- .For these reasons, 1t is desirable 1ntion. practice to maintain the temperature of the fuel bed below the point at which the ash of the fuelused will elinker. In my present invention,` I secure this temperature control, by regulatingr the amount of water vapor in the draft current supplied to the producer, in the manner hereinbefore explained. By working part of my fuel bed on a down draft, and theother part on an up draft, it is readily seen that I am enabled to use nearly double the depth of bed that may be used in the ordinary type of gas producer` This means that for the same grate area I can gasify nearly twice as much carbon.

In Figs. -il and 5 I have shown a slightly `different form of apparatus in which the gas take-offs are inserted `vertically through the top of the producer. InQjthis arrangeinent there is the advantagethat there is no tendency to increase the draft up the sides of the producer such as obtains .in the previous arrangement. The arrangement is, howegerk less desirable in other respects and I iregard the rst' arrangement shown being the preferable one. It is obvious, however, that the modification is one that does not in any Vsense change the nature of my invention. In this modification the different parts havethe same func tions as have the parts designated by the same nu mbers (without the primes) in the preceding figures.`

,In several copending applications, filed: herewith, I have revealed inventions more or less closely related to the one herein revealed.

I have not herein claimed `the apparatus shown and described as that forms the subject matter of a separate application.

I-Iaaf'ing described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The process of making gas which consists in passing a draft current of commingled air and products of combustion, into one extremity of a bed of incandescent fuel, and `simultaneously passing a draft current of commingled air and water vapor into the other extremity of said bed and withdrawing the gas made from the interior of said fuel bed, substantially as described.

2. The process of making gas which eoni upper part of said fuel bed,simultaneously passinga currentv of air into the lower part passing a current of air mixed with an` endothermically reacting constituent into the lower part of'said fuel bed and withdrawing the gases formed from near the middle of said fuel bed, substantially as described.

4. The process of making gas which consists in charging coal onto the fuel bed cfa gas producer, subjecting said coal to heating by a flame of previously formed gas from said gas producer, passing thegaseous mixture resulting from the combustion of said gas downward through the upper part of said fuel bed, simultaneously passing a current of air mixed with water vapor into `the lower part of said .fuel bed, substantially as described.

5. The process of making gas which eon sists in maintaining a bed of ignited fuel in a gas producer, subjecting the freshly charged fuel on the upper part of said bed to carbonization by directly contacting it with a flame cf reviousl formed ,vas Jassn el 'ing the gases from the said flame and the,

distillation gases from the said fuel downward through the upper part ofsaid fuel bed, simultaneously introducing a current of air mixed with an endothermically reacting constituent into the lower part of said fuel bed and withdrawing the gas made from the interior of said fuel bed, substantially ,as described.

6. The process of making gas which consists in maintaining a bed of ignited fuel in a gas producer, subjecting the freshly chargedfuel on the upper part of said fuel bed to carbonization by direct contact with a flame of previously made gas, introducing air and water vapor into'the lower part of said fuel bed, applying suction at an interior zone of said fuel bed, whereby the combus` tion gases from said gas flame andthe gases distilled from the fresh fuel are drawnl downward through the upper part of said bed of ignited fuel, whereby the water vapor` and carbon dioxid of said combustion' gases are dissociated` by contact with the incandescent carbon of the fuel to form carbon monoxid and hydrogen, and the gases resulting from the combustion in the'lowest 4 part` of said bed of ignited fuel are drawn upward 4through the lower half of said bed. and the initially-formed carbon dioxid and the water vapor are in major part dissociated to form carbon monoxid and hydrogen, the gaseous current from the 'upper part of the fuel bed and the gaseous current from the lower part of the fuel bed united and passed. through a recuperator, whereby part of the sensible heat of the producer gas is trans-` ferred to the draft current supplied to sait?.l

gas producer, substantially as..described.

7 In a suction operated gas producer the process which consists in working', the up,y

perpart of the fuel bed by downfdraft, the lowerpart of said bed by up-draft, the u permost layer of fuel of said bed being sull jected to direct contact witha flame o1? previously made gas at the same time, the

lower part of said fuel bed-to` combustion by a draft current of commingled air and a constituent reacting endothermically with incandescent carbon, thevolume and velocity of the draft being so regulated that the combustion of the carbon in `the lower part of Asaid fuel bed is substantially to carbon 'monoxid, substantially as described.

- Signed at New York city, in the county of' New York and State of New York this 31st day of March 1909. Y

'HENRY L'. DOHERTY.

Witnesses :Y

LOUIS F. Musil., C. B. GILBERT. 

